Cinema Lives – Arthouse Theatres in Germany 2026

Synopsis

After the last film played at the legendary Arsenal arthouse cinema in Tübingen, director Goggo Gensch accompanies founder Stefan Paul – filmmaker, distributor, and tireless cineast – on a journey to the screens that shaped Germany’s arthouse cinema movement. Paul and companions tell of the beginnings of arthouse cinemas in the 1970s and their daily struggle for survival. Icons like John Waters and Wim Wenders contribute personal memories, while the Hof International Film Festival celebrates underground films.